Gov. Roy Cooper's first week in office sets tone
RALEIGH - Bit by bit, North Carolina got its first look at Gov. Roy Cooper beyond the campaign trail this past week, his first in office.
He has long been viewed as a cautious politician, in part because of what some saw as his reluctance to run for governor and his own acknowledgment that he takes time to make decisions. In that vein, he has begun his term by naming just three Cabinet secretaries out of 10.
But other moves have signaled a possibly more aggressive stance. He began by suing a Republican-controlled legislature that has tried to diminish his powers, and indicated more lawsuits may follow. He has vowed to defy the General Assembly by fighting to repeal HB2 and trying to expand Medicaid coverage. He has chosen a career environmentalist to change the course of the states environmental regulatory agency.
Thats always been his reputation cautious, Gary Pearce, a longtime Democratic strategist and former aide to Gov. Jim Hunt, said Saturday. But he came out swinging before he was even sworn in.
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